Automobile hood latch



2 Sheets-Sheet III I v F; E. LIVERANCE, JR

AUTOMOBILE HOOD LATCH Flled Aprll 26, 1926 May 15, 1928.

May 15, 1928. 1,670,116

F. E. LIVERANCE, JR

AUTOMOBILE HOOD LATCH Filed April 26, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 economical to manufacture,

Patented May 15, 1928.

mum err-ice. 1

LIVEEANGE, JB., OF GRANDVILLE,

AUTOMOBILE noon LATCH.

Application filed April 26, 1926. Serial no. 104,616.

gageinent against an abutment against which it bears at its lower edge whereby rattling 1s obviated. One-feature of particular advantage in connection with this latch structureis that its manufacture and assembly is particularly practical, it being impossible to assemble the parts in a wrong manner, and, all of the partsbeing of simple stampings, there is nonecessity for close in spection or watching of the process of manufacture in the factory because of the inability of workmen to make either in fabricating or assembling the construction. With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the invention consists in the improved hood door latch, understa-nding of which may be had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which .Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional viewgof a hood showing the lately-which appears in elevatioinconnected therewith.

Fig. 2 is a. view similar to the latch disconnected from the 'hood'door. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the structure Fig. l looking'at. the same'from shown in the right. v

Fig. .4 is an enlarged through the latch. v Fig. 5 is a view similar to'Fig. lshowing a different form of the latch'structure and one Iwherein the" engagement of the same with the'hood door is nearer the lower. edge, the latch proper being positioned at an angle to the vertical. a v

Fig. 6,is an elevation of the latching member u'sedin the construction shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7' is a view similar to'Fig. 1 wherein the latching member may also be usedto press the hood'door into tight engagement at *its lower portion with a fiXed abutment, and 5 Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevation of'the 40" vertical section I parts'inthe severalviews of the drawing.

for a the purpose mistakes v Fig. 1 showing the spring which'is housed practice structure'shown in Fig. 7 looking at the same from the right, the latch-being disen-' gagediand turned to down position.

; Like reference characters refer to like A partof'a hood which is to be latched in closed positionis indicated at Lit, whenin closed posit-ion, coining outside of an abutment 2 which is turned upwardly from sheet-metal covering 3 placed over a suitable fixedsupport 4, which may be one of the two longitudinally extending side frame members of. the vehicle chassis. The con-. struction of the door and the method in which the abutment against which it bears forms no part of the present invention and. that shown is'for illustrativepurposes only.

' The latch construction includes a member of sheet metal having a-'- base 5 from which two spaced apart ears 6 extend upwardly.

Said base is designed to be rigidly secured adjacent the door and above the frame member 4 by any suitable fastening means such as the bolts shown. Above the member described asubstantially cylindrical housing is mounted. The housing is formed of sheet metal pressed into two semi-cylindrical halves 7, bent nearits Iniddlcpoint so as to bring the'halves tOg Qtl'IGI' and make a closed upper-end to the housing. The edges ofthe cylindrical section? come. together at the sides of the housing as indicated at' 8 inFi'g.

2 Preferably,anopening 9 will be left at each side adjacent the upper end of the housing for facility i'nmanufacturin'g and also to furnish. an opening for the oiling of within said housing, as will later appear. At each side, portionsof the metal are cut away so that the housing at the lower end has slots 10 in each side which extend from the lower end of the housing approximately one third of its height. The metal at the lower of each half of' the' housingis left flat making the downwardly extending ears 1 1 which are designed to pass between the ears 6 of the supporting" member heretofore described. "In the metal of the cars 11 will be pressed inwardly to make the embossings 12,

each in depth substantially one half the -WiCltli of; the slots 10 sothatthe same' will come'togetherjand properly space the ears 111 {A pivot p n 13 passes thijou h the ears 6 and 11 so that the housingmay be mountparallel to the plane of the hood ed for pivotal movement on the supporting member. The axis of thepin 13 is at right angles to the plane of the hood door 1 whereby the housing may be turned in a plane door. Associated with the housing is a latching member of sheet metal having two sides 14 connected at their lower end by a cross bar 15 rounded so that it may turn freely in the,

slots of the housing in whichit is located. Thisniember is made from flat stock and the side bars 14 are at each side of a rectangular. opening 16 which iszeut in piecefrom which the member 1smade, the cross "1 bar being at the lower end of said opening. The upper end of the latching member is formed into an outwardly extending handle or finger engaging part 17 and above the rectangular opening 16 a hook 18 is struck and bent inwardly, it being designed to engage with a fixed keeper 19 secured to the outer'side of the hood door 1. .A coiled spring 20 is located in the housing betweenits upper end and the crossbar 15 of the latch member described.

It is evident that with the partsassembled as stated, the tendency of the spring 20 is to force the bar 15 in a downward dire.ti0n but that by engagement with the handle 17 and pulling upwardly the spring may becompressed and the latching member moved in an upward direction, at least as far as the slots 10 will permit. Accordingly, the latching member may be lifted to a position that the hook 18 will engage with the keeper 19 and when released the spring 20 will move the latching member downwardly so as to cause hook 18 to engage with said 7 keeper 19, spring 20 under compression, ex-

construction is shown, the base 5 havingitsends stamped so as to position the ears 6 at an angle to the vertical whereupon the housing member will lie atthesame angleto the vertical. have the hook 18, previously described but at each side near its lower end integral hook fingers are struck from the body of the latch member and curved inwardly and downwardly to make the hooks'21 adapted to engage with a keeper 22 edge of the hood door 1. tion of the latch: and the of the spring close to the lower The angular posidirection of force by reason of such position The latching member does not.

makes a horizontal component of such force have the efiect of moving the lower portion of the hood door 1 inwardly against the abutment 2 while the other or vertical component of theforce downward direction;

In Figs. 7 and 8 the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4:, inclusive, is slightly modipulls on the door in a ,fied in that each of the side bars 14 of the latching member near their lower ends are formed with forwardly curved, sectionsj23,

substantially semi-circular in form, which bear, when the latching member is engaged with its keeper, against a member 24.,of leather, rubber or like material attached to the hood door. Thiscauses' the door to be pressed inwardly snugly against the abutment 2, as is obvious. I

There are many othermodifications which may be made. For instance, the hood latch may be turned to a position at right angles to that shown and turn on the pivot toward.

member to which it is pivotally connected.

The assembly consists in pulling the ears 11 far enough apart that the spring 20 maybe placed in the housing, putting the cross bar 15 of the latch member below the spring, fitting the cars 11 between the ears 6 and inserting and securing the one pivot pin 13.

)eca'use of the symmetrical construction there is no possibility of misassembling the housing, latch bar and spring, and in all of the constructions except that shown in Fig. 5, there can be no misassembly of the hous ing with the supporting base. The construction is thus particularly feasible for quantity production manufacture, no particular care and watchfulness in the factory being needed. ble and by reason of the pivotal connection of the housing. to the base, the latch may be turned to a lower position, as in Fig. 8 where it is practically out invention is defined in the of the way. The

all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A hood clamp for motor vehicles and the like comprising a tubular housinghaving a closed end and slotted at opposite sides, a spring located within the housing,

and a latching member formed with an elon In" addition it is strong and dura claims appended and is to be considered comprehensive of gated opening lengthwise thereof and witha cross bar at one end,said cross bar passing connected at "one end byv a cross bar, y

handle formed therethrough the housing at the slotted sides thereof, and at opposite end having means to be manually engaged "to" draw the cross bar against'said spring to compress the same.

' 2. -A hood clamp for motor vehicles and V the like comprising a tubular housing havat' opposite sides,

a supporting base to wh ch said hOllSlIlg is pivotally connected at the end thereof opposite its closed end, and

the like comprising a tubular housing having one end closed and formed at its opposite end with two parallel ears, said housing being slotted in opposite sides away-from said'ears, a supporting base to which said ears are pivotally connected a coiled spring within said housing,and latching member slidably mounted on said hOllSlIlg-llilVlIlg a part passing through said slotted sides of the housing bet-ween said 'supporting'base.

the end of thespring and l. Ah'ood clamp-for motor vehicles and the like comprising an elongated housing having one' end closed and slotted longitudinally at opposite sides, a supporting base to wliich said housing is pivotally' connected, a coiled compression spring located within said housing, a latching member having spaced apart sides connected at one end by a cross bar connected with said housing, said cross bar passing through the slotted sides of the housing and engaging against one end of said spring, a handle at the opposite end of the latching member and hook engaging means carried by said latching member.

5. A hood clamp for motor vehicles comprising a supporting base, a housing pivotally connected to said base at one end, a spring located within said housing, and a latching member slidably and pivotally mounted on sald housing, being slidable in one direction to compress said spring and having pivotal movement with respect to said housing about an axis located at right angles to the axis about which the housing has pivotal movement.

6. A hood clamp comprising a supporting base, a tubular housing having oppositely slotted sides pivotally connected at one end to said base, the opposite endot the housing being closed, and a hood latching member pivotally and slidably connected with said housing and having a part passing through the slotted sides of said housing combined with a spring located within said having 7 said housing, and ing a closed end and longltudinally slotted a coiled spring located' -W]ll1'ln the housing,

. the lower end of the housing housing against which said part at the latching member engages to compress the spring "on movemem in'on'e direct on.

7. A hood clamp comprisin'g a hous ingv oppositely slotted sides located lengthwiseofthe housing,-a spring within a hood latching member pi-votally and slidably mounted onsaid' body and having a part extending through the slotted sides thereof, said latchingmember includ ng a finger hold member and ahood engaging'hidoia formed integral therewith.

8. A'hood clamp comprising an elongated housing hav'ng closed-upper end and having opposite sides slotted longitudinally from th lower end thereoi upwardlyfor a dista'nce," coiled spring withimthe housing,

and an open rectangularflshaped latching member connected with. said housing with thereof passing across the lower end of the spring and through the slotted sides of the housing, the upper endot' said'latchinginember above the upper end ally bent integral fing'e'r engaging member. "9. A hood clamp compris ng an elongated 'tubularhonsing having aclosed upper end and having opposite sides [longitudinally slotted-upwardly for. a distance from the lower end'ot'thehousing, a, coiled spring located within the housing, and a latching member a formed from a single length of flat metal having a rectangular"elongated op'ening cut "therefrom leaving spaced apart sides connected"at theirv lower ends by a cross member, said'c 'ross member passing being formed into a laterthrough the housing below the lower end of said springand adapted to be moved upwardly through the slots in the sides of said housing, he upper end of the latching member being formed into a finger engaging handle. g '1 y 10. A hood clamp containing the elements in combination defined in claim 9, said latching member also, having hood engaging means. extending therefrom in a direction 013130551156 to the said handle.

11. A hood clamp comprising a supportmg base, an elongated housing pivotally con- 'nected at. its lower end to said base to turn about an axis perpendicular to'the plane of the hood door,'a coiled spring within the housing, and a latching member adapted to detachably connect with the hood door pivotallyand slidably mounted on said housing and adapted'to turn about an axis at its lower end substantially parallelto the plane of the hood door, and move upwardly against said spring. v

12. A hood clamp comprising an elongated housing having a closed upper end and being longitudinally slotted in opposite sides from its lower end upwardly, a coiled spring located within'the' housing, a latching member in the form of an open rectangular below the spring,

a. coiled spring located within the housing,

a latching member in thofor n of an open rectangular frame slidably and pivotally mounted on said housing, {the lower end thereof passing, through the slot-ted sides of the housing below. said spring, and hood engaging means and a linger I engaging means carried by said latching inember ad jacent its upper end, the sides'o t the latch- 1ng member, near their lower endsbeing curved'in to substantially semi-circular form so as to extend toward a hood door with which the hood clamp is associated.

14. A hood clamp for motor VGl'llClGS which has a housingtormed from a single strip of metal pressed into half roundshapi-i at portions of its length with a flat connect ing portion between adjacent ends tions having parts of said ears. with which llllSflSSOClZURd acting to! press termed from a through the slotted of the i. half round portions, said half round por their edges removed is andterminating in ears whereby when the strip is bent atisaid connecting portion'to bring the edges of the half round portions together, sa1d ears are spaced apartand the open end portion of the housing is slotted at opposite sides for a distance, said slots havni having a housing single strlp of metal pressed into substantially ,ha-l'tround shape at por- 15. A, hood clamp tions of its length with a flat connecting portion betwe'en the ends or the hall round vportions, said half round portions terminat mg in ears whereby when the strip is bent .atsaid coni'ioc't-mg portion a housing hav in longitudinally slotted sides is made with spaced apart ears at one. end.

16. A hood clamp connorming two memsides, a spring housed within saidhousing. a second member formed with an elongated opening lengthwisethereof having a cross barat one-end passing through therhousing against one end of the spring, said spring at its opposite end bearing against ancnd of thehousing,

slotted member. may be moved lengthwis,

with respeot'to each other Witha compresabase and vp votal con sion ol. said spring, nections betweensaid base'and one end of one 01 said members. i

In testimony whereof: Iv aflix my signature.

' FRANK n. LIvEaANoE, is;

whereby said housing and ll, awidth equal. to the distance apart of -.bers one a hollow housing. havin 'slotted i J o b sides thereof to bear 

